Droit Au But, a Nicki Minaj Song and The Cheetah Girls

My fellow Georgian named Preston invited Alli and I to a football match on the 6th of October. His parents got him tickets as a present and I was honored to be the first person he asked to go. He had four tickets in total. I felt like I won the lottery. This would be my first time attending a for real for real football match. By football, I actually mean soccer. Why do we call American football, football? I find that to be really stupid. The rest of the world calls it football...why can't we? And why do we not use Celsius? Why do we measure in feet? DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT IS FOR US STUDY ABROAD STUDENTS TO SWITCH? (End rant). We had to take the bus to Marseille, then take the metro to Stade Vélodrome. With the help of our Australian friend, Tom, we got there safely. He used to live in Marseille, so he knew his way around. I had never been to Marseille before that, so it put me at ease to know that he knew what he was doing. The weather was awful, but the game was incredible. People in France love their football. They get very serious about their team. In fact, Olympique de Marseille fans were flicking off the Paris Saint-Germain fans. The opposing team's fans were caged off...I assume it was a safety measure. Unfortunately, OM lost last night, but it was still a great experience. I hope to go again sometime. Their slogan is "droit au but," which means right to the goal.

My homie Alli!

                                         

On the bus!

Stade Vélodrome

                               

SO COOL!

Start of the game!

After living in Aix for so long, a gal gets bored and wants a change of scenery. One weekend, Alli and I booked a hostel and went by bus to Nice. The whole time...that awful Nicki Minaj song was stuck in my head.

Yes, this song. Click here if you wish to lose faith in all of humanity.

From Aix to Nice...the ride only took about two and a half hours if I remember correctly. On our way to the Gare, we saw Rue D'Anglais, which is the long beach road. It was an incredible view. After we got off at the Gare/bus station, Alli and I got a map from the office and tried to navigate to the hotel using our brains, the map, and Google Maps. We ended up just following the tram and eventually getting on it. Alli was a genius and saw where we needed to go on the map, so we ended up at the hostel. We were pretty lost and clueless for the most part, but thanks to her wonderful observation, we got there. Before going to any hostel or hotel, I always check TripAdvisor. The hostel we were going to was free of bedbugs and had excellent reviews, so I was excited to see it. I had never stayed in a hostel before, but I felt at ease that it wouldn't break the bank. Alli and I each paid thirty euros for our two nights.

The front of our hostel

The "Chill Out" Room

Alli and I got to the hostel when it was getting dark out, so we couldn't do much that night. We only had one other roommate who was Chinese. She didn't speak any French, but for some reason, I kept speaking French to her. She spoke English really well, so we ended up speaking that so that everyone could understand. Her name was Lin and she is studying in London at the moment. Alli and I wondered what we were going to do that night and we ended up just walking around Nice...at night! Before anyone says anything, it was perfectly safe. We didn't stray into alleys or do anything illogical. We also found our way back to the hostel without any issues.

Nice at night!

Alli and I stopped at a store and I bought some chips and beer. Alli bought this parfait thing and then we got back to the hostel. We took showers and went to this chill out room that the hostel had. There were already people in there. Alli and I plopped down at a table next to them. It wasn't long before they invited us to play a drinking game with them. Luckily, I had two beers with me! The game was something I never understood, so I am not going to try and explain it, but I had two Leffe beers that night. Leffe is a delicious blonde beer from Belgium!

YUM

It turns out that they were all backpackers from Australia and Canada. There might have been one British girl too, but they all spoke English. They were all very nice. We all just sat there playing a drinking game, listening to the Weeknd, and having a good time. Then, the other Americans came! Alli and I met two people from Florida. A girl named Joëlle and her boyfriend who were backpacking through Europe. Alli and I eventually got tired, said our goodbyes, and went to bed. When Alli and I got to our room, a new person had arrived. She was also Chinese! Unfortunately, we never caught her name, but she was awfully nice. She was in Nice for a conference because she was a PhD of some sort. We all chatted for a bit and eventually went to bed. The next morning, Alli and I took the tram to Messena Square. We took so many pictures that day! 

Messena Square on that cloudy day. October 19th, 2013.

That's me on the beach!

Alli and I sitting on a beach made of just rocks.

COOL!

                       

A typical street in Nice.

We had breakfast by the marketplace.

The first thing Alli and I did that day was go to the beach. It wasn't swimming weather, so we just took some photos and then got some breakfast. Nice is quite lively in the morning. People were buying things from the market and I enjoyed people-watching at our table when we were eating breakfast. After we ate, we walked all around Nice the entire day and then ended up at the beach again, but this time...we had bubble tea. So, there we were...sipping bubble tea and laying on a bed of rocks. At first, it hurt to lay there, but it felt like a massage after about five minutes. That night, Alli and I ate at a local restaurant and then went back to the hostel for a good night's sleep. We had to be back in Aix the next day.

Here comes the finale of the post...I went to Barcelona for four days! At the low price of 150 €!!! Included in the price was the bus ride there and back, the hostel stay, and breakfast. George was our tour guide and we left around 6 or 7 AM. By we, I mean me, a Mexican (Israel), a German (Vincent), and a Swedish dude (Phillip). The guys stayed up ALL night, so they were all knocked out on the bus. I was nervous about going to a new country because I am now comfortable around French. They don't exactly speak Spanish in Barcelona. They actually speak Catalan, which is sort of a mixture between Spanish and French. I couldn't understand a thing! We got to Barcelona in the afternoon. It was rather windy. The whole time, I was thinking about the Cheetah Girls 2 movie where they go to Barcelona. Here is the video when they were dancing in the streets. It's not my favorite song by them in that movie, but I think it will help for visualization.


Strut by the Cheetah Girls

This song...on the other hand...was the best song in the movie. HELL YEAH.

Dance with Me by Drew Seely ft. Belinda

La Columna

A typical street in Barcelona

All four of us

After a little tour of Barcelona. We went to the hostel, which was called Ideal Hostel right next the main road aka La Rambla. That night, we had plans to go to hottest club in Barcelona. We went to our friend's rented apartment to pre-game! There were two French people there too, so I started speaking to them in French and they are very nice. We must have spent a few hours just having a good time and talking about anything, really.

The gals

Pierre et moi

When we were ready to go, we walked there. The walk about fifteen minutes and when we arrived at the club, it was packed. That night was the Real Madrid VS. Barcelona game. Barcelona won and the city was alive. We all stood in line and I was busy talking to Israel by the time we got to the front and we were unable to get in. It was a disappointment, but we just headed back to the apartment and then back to the hostel that night. The day after, we went on a tour by bus with George and our group. It was a pretty hot day with a bit of a breeze. I took plenty of photos.

All of Barcelona

That's me!

Basilique de la Sagrada Familia

That night, Erasmus, a foreign exchange program invited everyone out to the Catwalk, which is a nice club in Barcelona. It was my first club experience and I am happy to say that it was in a wonderful city. We walked from the hostel to the club, but our walk had one stop...the beach! The beach in Barcelona is beautiful...and we were there at night. What a life! After everyone got done chillin' at the beach, we walked a little further and got to the club. The look on the outside is modern. Once you get into the club, the stairs lead you to the bathrooms, and then you get to the wonderful dance floor. It was around midnight when we got there...the night life doesn't get started until 2 AM in Barcelona. We just danced and danced until our feet were gonna fall off. It was maybe 5 AM when we left the club and we ended up going to a pub close by. Vincent ended up buying cheap beer from shady street vendors. Some of the beer cans were sort of frozen, which was hilarious! We called it frozen piss. It took us forever to walk home because of our drunkards, but when we did...it was 7 AM. We were all so exhausted!

Israel and I on the beach before the club

The outside of Catwalk

The inside of Catwalk

Our group at the end of the night

It was our last full day in Barcelona when we woke up, so we decided to go to the beach. I met a very nice girl named Maren, who is German. She speaks so many languages! She came with us and we all had a lovely time. Who knew so many hours could pass on a beach when you just sit and talk?

Walking to the beach

The port

Maren!

My friends chillin' on the beach

That's me!

That night, we would finally get into Opium. We all went as a big group to a very nice bar near the beach for some karaoke! As we were walking to the metro, we took a group picture. It was funny because Israel and I are actually part of ISEP, not Erasmus. IT WAS BETRAYAL. Haha. Opium is one cool club, but I prefer Catwalk. There were plenty of people there when we came in and we danced for a long time, but not as long as the night before. We were even able to get to the VIP section. I have to give Erasmus props for that! Opium had a nice deck next the beach too, so if you were tired from the dancing, it was nice to sit and watch the waves. The weather that night wasn't ideal because it started raining when we walked home. It was a fun time!

Group photo!

The deck

Inside of the club

The next day, it rained and rained. George gave us a few hours to get ready to go. We all checked out of our hostels and left our things in the main room downstairs while we did our last-minute shopping and goodbyes. We were all pretty tired, so our bus ride home was long. One thing I must say...if anyone stays in Barcelona, pick a good hostel. Our hostel had bed bugs. Thank goodness we didn't sleep that much, but still...it's unsettling. It was a lot easier to get rid of them than everyone thinks. I washed my clothes and my backpack in very, very hot water when I got home. That's the only way they will die. The hostel we stayed at was less than ideal...ironically enough haha. I am not too proud to stay in a hostel because I like the atmosphere, but bed bugs are really annoying and the bites are extremely itchy. Other than that, the trip was incredible. The people of Barcelona are so very nice. I hope to go back one day to such a beautiful city, full of beautiful people.

The Point of Study Abroad is to Actually STUDY?!

My lovely school

A normal week for me is from Monday to Thursday. I take a general language course everyday with my awesome professor Nathalie Moreels and my fellow classmates. We all get along really well and I feel as if we all really enjoy class. I have a phonetics course, an art and publicity class, and French press and journalism. I spend about twenty hours a week in class, but get Fridays off so I'm not complaining!

In school, I have a lot of fun with my classmates. We had two birthdays during this stretch of time from the time we started to our vacation week at the end of October. One birthday was Lauren's, but I was sick that day, so I was unable to attend. I will now awkwardly post pictures of an event I didn't attend, but I was there in spirit.

Yes, they sell Lay's chips in France

A toast!

This pretty girl is my friend Lauren from California.

Our professor's birthday was the other birthday. We all chipped in to buy one of her favorite perfumes. We all were just hanging out, snacking, and celebrating for an hour during class.

Our lovely teacher making her wishes

St. Tropez cakes

My lovely classmates

A toast to health!

A prof and a prof

Our prof wondering where we found the perfume

My favorite class would have to be the general French language course. We have this class four times a week, so every school day with the same professor. At the beginning of the week, this class lasts for two hours. By the end of the week, the class stretches out to be three hours long. Our professor allows breaks to get coffee and go to the bathroom. This class covers French reading, writing, listening comprehension, and my favorite...grammar! There are some parts of French grammar that annoy me, but my favorite thing about French grammar is learning verbs. I like learning about tenses, moods, and how to conjugate them. By learning another language, my English grammar has greatly improved as well. I think learning another language is extremely beneficial for anyone. 

I also really like art and publicity. Our professor, Mme Thirion is funny and she is really into art. She tells us about the history of art and how it is used in ads from a long time ago to today. Here are some ads I like that she has shown us in class:

Orangina ad by Villemot

Ad for rat poison...the last supper they'll have!

Mon Savon ad by Savignac

French class in French is a lot harder than French class in English...that's for sure. I know that I am supposed to make mistakes an struggle with my French...but I am hoping very much that I get better and better. I already see many improvements. I am not as scared to speak French to actual French people as I was before. I know that if I give it my best shot, then they will most likely understand me. If I don't try, then I'll never be able to make any improvements in my French. I really enjoy French class for the most part. There are some times when I just don't understand something, but with the help of my professor and my classmates, I eventually understand. I like where I am learning French. In the Spring, I hope to take the DELF exam here. Instead of taking it in the States, I'd like to take it here to feel qualified enough to be a teacher in the future. But for now, I am preparing for the big day!

Where is Your Mustache, Good Sir?

Hongh Hongh Oui Oui

Yeah...you've probably already seen that guy in the picture above this sentence. That would be the epitome of the French stereotype. Just to let you know, it's not all that true. I haven't seen a lot of berets, but I still regret not bringing mine haha. People here don't wear that many stripes. They do like scarves though...but so do Americans. It's true that they drink wine a lot, but every country has that one alcoholic beverage they always seem to drink. No French person just walks around with a glass of wine like that. You will see them carry bottles of wine, but the glasses come out at the table and whatnot. The guys here don't all have mustaches. There is one thing that is pretty damn true in this photograph...dat bread doe. Yeah, people here carry bread in different ways here. Sticking out of their backpacks, under their arms, in their reusable bags, and in other creative ways you can think of. The French are also very fashionable. After living in a town where flip flops, sweat pants, and Uggs are the style, it's refreshing to see someone try. ACTUALLY TRY.

My first weeks in Aix were so frustrating and incredible. I met the other Americans in my program besides Alli. I met Lauren from California, Hunter from Tennessee, Halee from Tennessee, Preston from Georgia (I was stoked that we were from the same state), and Israel from Indiana. I think I'll start with the fond memories. After we all got acquainted with each other, we had a few occasions where we watched Disney movies. Alli brought her movies and there we were...a bunch of American, college students watching Disney flicks in France. Alli and Israel have both become great friends of mine.

This is Alli!

This is Israel!

Since the internet wasn't working in our dorms, we had to find way to get internet. What does a person with no internet do in Aix? Go to the Office of Tourism and you will not be disappointed. I would usually go with Alli and end up seeing another fellow ISEP student there...and then everyone else would just show up. Looking back at it, it makes me laugh. We would be completely silent for about an hour...just feeding our eyes with internet. After we had our fix, we would either all split up or go somewhere to eat or shop. Sometimes, we would split up in groups of two or three. Good times...but the not so good times came with a little thing called culture shock.

This is the Culture Shock U-Curve

This U-Curve is very accurate! My first week or two in Aix was the honeymoon phase for sure. Everything amazed me. Seeing people going shopping, seeing people eating, seeing people driving...you name it! I was curious about everything. Have you ever watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas?" I felt like Jack asking "what's this?" Except I am not a skeleton dude, I didn't live in a town dedicated to one holiday, and I didn't actually ask it out loud and sing in the middle of Aix. To be honest, I actually really dislike that movie, so here is a better example...I was like Tarzan when he was learning to be more "civilized." (Disney). That Phil Collins song was always playing in my head. I'm being dead serious!

Strangers Like Me by Phil Collins is my study abroad anthem. Click if you wanna jam out!

I felt like being as French as possible! I wanted to dress like them, eat what they ate, talk the way they talked and everything. I was so excited about everything. I spent days just exploring town and getting lost, but I was always able to find my way back home this time. People told me that I spoke French well and I was like "hell yeah I got this!"

The famous Cours Mirabeau at night without people.

Le Festival is a well-known café next to the fountain.

LITTLE DID I KNOW...

The honeymoon phase is temporary. It was especially temporary for me because I'd never been away from home before. My other friends have been independent in the States and they were used to being on their own. I am sure it was hard for them too because of the language difference, but for me...being independent...really alone for the first time, was the most shocking thing of all. I am used to eating Vietnamese food cooked for me at home, so when I looked at my pots and pans, I was like, what the hell did I get myself into? The diet was the hardest thing to deal with. Did you know that a ton of Asians are lactose intolerant? Dairy doesn't affect me as badly, but I still prefer not to have too much of it. The problem with that is that the French LOVE dairy. Cheese and yogurt are part of their routines. I don't like cheese much and yogurt is tasty, but I can't eat too much of it. They have a lot of flavors here...even prune flavor! Also, when I came here...I realized that I am allowed to drink. At first, I didn't really touch alcohol. I was like blehhhh and then I started drinking more and figured out that I like beer and long islands and Baileys and that I have a really high tolerance. Also, when I get drunk, I don't act a fool and I can still remember everything with a logical mind. That all sounds nice, but there is one problem...I don't like wine. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! I don't like wine and cheese...two of the most French things to consume. I wanted to like these things, but they didn't click with me. I love the culture and the language, but how could I not like wine and cheese? I don't even get it. 

Cheese being sold in Carrefour. 

It wasn't just the diet that hit me hard...it was also the administration. The bank took almost a month to get my PIN number to me by mail. I don't know if it was my bank or my place of residence, but I was still unable to use my debit card to use my stipend for that duration of time. I also thought it was really unusual that the bank closed on Monday. A couple of people I spoke to told me about their mail getting lost. Yikes! A friend of mine from Czech Republic told me about how her family sent her a laptop. She got a slip notifying her that her package was at the post, but when she went to retrieve her package, it was somehow lost. One time, I was waiting in line for over an hour in order to turn in a few things for enrollment in my school because I think the lady was just late and taking her time. If you ever come here, please learn patience. Thank goodness I have some thanks to my mom, but if I didn't, I would have thrown fits. I am luckier than most though, I haven't had nightmare stories. 

The crisis phase didn't come with just a diet issue and administration issue...everything about where I was annoyed me. My thoughts were just complaints and "woe is me."

"Why does my dorm not have AC?"

"Why are there so many stray cats here?"

"There is dog shit everywhere here!" (This is unfortunately very true about Aix).

"Why does everyone walk so slowly here?"

"I wish I had my car still!"

"Why is everything so expensive?!"

You get the point. I was just pissed about little things. When school started up, I was ecstatic to be spending my time learning. I had a four month summer vacation and I was ready to start doing something with my life. Before starting classes, all future students of IEFEE have to take a placement exam. They gathered us in a big room, split us all up to take a long exam having to do with French grammar, writing, and listening comprehension. By the time the exam was over, we were all tired. We returned to the school to receive our results. I think we returned the next day or the day after that. I can't remember. I was aiming for level two or three. I was surprised to have gotten into level three! I was ecstatic and happily followed the professors to our orientation. I was place in 3A with an excellent professor and with my friend Lauren from California, while my friend Hunter from Tennessee was placed in 3B. We weren't starting classes that day, but they gave us our schedules and went over the rules, so it felt like the first day of high school, except entirely in French. I noticed how diverse the school was. Students came from all over the world to IEFEE to learn French. I couldn't wait to start my classes.